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The Tea Terrace- House Of Frasier- Oxford Street

I told a work colleague I was planning a shopping trip to Oxford Street and knowing that I'm slightly fanatical about afternoon tea she recommended I try a tea room inside House of Fraiser whilst I was there.

I suggested to Jade who I was shopping with we popped into House of Fraiser when passing for a cup of tea and slice of cake not expecting much. After searching the top floor through kids clothes we arrived at The Tea Terrace and I was so impressed! Who knew this gem was in Oxford Street for everyone to enjoy.

Everything about The Tea Terrace excited me, the mismatching tables and chairs in cream and blue hues and shabby chic benches adorned with floral cushions! I was practically jumping up and down with excitement! There were beautiful patterned plates decorating the walls and a counter displaying various handmade cakes. 

Taking a seat there was a lovely placemat defining afternoon tea and providing a brief history of the tradition which I thought was a nice touch and we were presented with a menu. Realising the afternoon tea for two was priced at just £21.95 it would have been rude not to try it out especially as Jade had never had a traditional afternoon tea (shock horror). 

The afternoon tea included the choice of a variety of teas including Egyptian mint tea, Darjeeling tea and citrus camomile tea but I enjoy a milky cup of English breakfast tea with my scones so we chose to both have this. 

We could also choose a sandwhich each from: Egg mayonnaise with salad cress, cheddar cheese and handmade chutney, salmon and cream cheese or ham and tomato. I chose to have salmon and Jade went for egg. 

Shortly after ordering we were presented with the most beautiful blue and white tea pot with two matching teacups and saucers. I noticed everyone's teapot and crockery was different and it addeded such a lovely dynamic to the tea room, I spied a Royal Albert tea pot on the table next to me which I was a little envious of! We were given our afternoon tea within 10 minutes and it was clear everything was fresh and homemade and the scones were warmed through and smelt amazing! 

The sandwhiches were delicious and clearly freshly made and we each had a slice of handmade lemon drizzle cake which was yummy but I have to mention the scones. I have eaten a lot of scones and I must say these really impressed me. They were smaller and slightly taller than your average and they had such a lovely buttery flavour which wasnt too sweet, we both had a small pot of strawberry jam and clotted cream to top them with and they were divine. 

I am so glad I decided to try this afternoon tea and the whole experience sticks out in my mind as as one of the best afternoon teas i have tried.Ok so you don't get a great variety of sandwhiches cut up in fancy ways and you only get one variety of cake but the atmosphere and quality of what is presented to you can bypass that. You certainty forget you are in House of Fraiser let alone on one of the busiest streets in London, so if you are in London wanted a spot of lunch tea for under £12 I could not recommend the Tea Terrace enough! 

Tinseltown- the start of an indulgent week

As I mentioned in my last post I had a lot of appointments (mainly revolving around food) coming up..apologies for the late posting but I hope I can make up for it over the next few days. Also I am trying out a new photo arrangement let me know what you think! 

One if my sisters turned 16 on the 1st June and as she is in the middle of her GCSEs and didn't want to do anything big we decided to go for a meal a Tinseltown with our other sister.

Why we have never been here before I don't know, chocolate bars IN a milkshake? Yes please! 

First and foremost I would suggest not ordering a starter and a milkshake aswel as a main. By the time our mains arrived we were seriously struggling to find room for it as the milkshake is like a meal in itself as it is made up of ice cream and chocolate bars! We shared a starter if nachos and all ordered a burger and chips for mains. The food was very tasty and well cooked but it wasn't spectacular it was just as you would imagine from an Amerian diner. The milkshakes are what sets this diner apart from the rest! My sister had the white kinder bueno shake which I think was my favourite closely followed by the Oreo shake. I had the Terry's chocolate orange milkshake which was nice aswel and it had big chunks of chocolate in it but the other two defiantly had an edge over it. 

It was a great day trip out with my sisters but I think if I return to Tinseltown it will be a quick stop for a milkshake during a shopping trip or something not for a full meal. 

 

As we were in picturesque Hamstead and it was such a lovely warm summer evening we decided to go for a stroll after dinner and I took a few pictures below :) 

Sunday #3 on a Tuesday

Wearing 18andEast top and Primark jeans x

A belated Sunday post, I hope you all had a great bank holiday weekend! I enjoyed the snippet of sun we got and ate too many carbs but what are bank holidays for?

I have a full working week this week but have some exciting things planned for next week to do and blog about...

1. Milkshakes and burgers? Can only mean Tinseltown! My little sister will be turning 16 and what better way to celebrate than force feed her copious amounts of ice cream and meat.

2. SHOPPING! Not just a trip to Westfield's Stratford which is all I have done since it was built last year, I am venturing to Oxford Street! I am so excited about going to Selfridges and plan on making it a girly day including a tea stop at some point. Which leads me onto...

3. AFTERNOON TEA! I may or may not have mentioned a bargain afternoon tea voucher purchased a while ago for a local hotel in Brentwood. It is booked up for next week Tuesday and I am so excited to put a pretty dress on and nibble on finger sandwiches once again! 

Amongst all this fun I am going to see The Great Gatsby at the cinema, is it wrong to want to see a film purely on the basis you like the costumes? No I didn't think so. I have also ordered some new spectacles to collect on Friday so keep an eye out on Instagram for some shameless selfies. 

Feel free to contact me on curiositea23@gmail.com and follow me on Instagram- CURIOSITEA23 :) 

Rimmel salon pro nail varnish

I heard from a good source that the new Rimmel salon gel finish nail varnishes which claim to stay chip free for 10days actually chip after 2 days.

Naturally I had to see this for myself. On arrival at the Rimmel stand I am spoilt for choice in colours, and bearing in mind I have too many nail varnishes anyway I ended up going for a nude shade. It's sometimes difficult to find a good nude shade to suit your skin tone but I thought I would give it a go.

I was pleasantly surprised when I started applying this shade as it dried down to a dusty pink/nude shade which I find very flattering on my nails.

Rimmel Salon Pro with Lycra- 237 soul session

When you open this nailvarnish first you realise it's got a lovely wide application brush which really does make the application easier as you can coat a nail fully in two strokes. The formula is slightly thicker than a standard polish but I would have expected that as it boasts a gel like finish but it applys smooth and I applied three thin coat without a top coat to test the claims it will last 10days chip free. 

The polish was fully opaque after two coats and the finish is high shine and quite impressive, it dried surprisingly fast aswel! 

So the bottle claims, 'long lasting nail polish, up to 10 days. Gel like finish. Chip resistant and anti-fade colour.' 

I would say these claims aren't too far fetched the nail varnish has a quality professional gel like finish and although the nailvarnish didn't last anywhere near 10days it was anti-fade and the colour and shine was still there after 4/5 days. The polish did start chipping after about 4 days but I think I good topcoat could have sorted that out. Personally I like to change my polish after about 5 days anyway so it wasn't the end of the world.

Free Mac?!

Firstly, apologies for the delay in posting last week I had a full diary but I am back and expect some flu posts over the next week! 

When I heard you can trade in your empty Mac containers for FREE lipstick I had to check with the store and they confirmed if you take in 6 empty Mac products you will get a free lipstick!

Obviously I ran home and raided my make up collection finding I had 5 empties and was considering chopping up a lipstick and putting it in a separate container when I found an empty lipstick tube at the bottom of a bag! The joy!

Arriving back at the store with empties in tow I felt under pressure to choose a colour and there's so much choice and why are Mac stores always so hot?! So in the end I went for the brightest shades could find seen as summers coming apparently.

Mac - I'm Passioned 

I chose 'IM PASSIONED' which is a bright pink/coral shade in Amplified cream formula. I think it's a beautiful blue toned pink which would look great with a tan and the formula is really creamy and luxurious. Did I mention it was FREE? The lipstick lasts a good couple of hours before I feel it needs reapplying but even then the lips have a lovely pink stain left on them so the colour doesn't rub off completely. I love Mac lipsticks and one of the main reasons is the smell, I hate the lipstick smell of cheaper brands.

If you don't have 6 empty Mac containers you can purchase this lipstick at the normal retail price of £14.

Also, I am trying out some drugstore foundations for off duty days as I am very much a slave to Mac at the moment so expect some reviews to come! 

We heart crafts ...

I previously mentioned that I was going to a craft fair with my mum and it was so cute! It was in a little church in Enfield, north London which was the perfect setting for the vintage inspired craft fair. One of the first things I noticed arriving to the the church was a cute chalkboard outside advertising 'cafe choo choo' when I walked inside and realised it was a tiny vintage tea room I almost jumped up and down on the spot!

Cafe Choo Choo 

Cafe choo choo was so adorable multicoloured polka dot tablecloths and mismatching furniture and when I got to the counter realised the cabinets behind were red and white polka dot and had mismatching curtains hung above! All the walls were glass so you could see into the church and what was going on. I also noticed they sold Nutella cupcakes so a return visit is in order!

Clockwise from top left- Rebecca's cakes, candles, mums cards, church cushions, mums scrapbooks, sewing crafts, handmade hairclips

Naturally I migrated straight for the cupcake stall and I was not disappointed, after much deliberation I chose an Oreo cupcake. It was chocolate sponge with buttercream icing with bits of Oreo mixed in and a mini Oreo on the top. It was presented in a little clear box and I must say it was a good cake,and I would know I have eaten a lot. I would recommend checking out Rebecca's cakes if you need cupcakes/cakes in the North London/ Hertfordshire area.

I had a go on the Tom-bola as one should whenever there is an opportunity and I won the most incredible candle! It is a tall plum honeysuckle fragranced handmade candle by a company called the Candle Cellar. The candle is 9inches tall and a good width and at the moment it is still in the wrapped up but the smell is permeating the cellophane and smells amazing, this size candle is being sold for £7 which I think is very reasonable considering what price you might pay for a known brand candle and this is handmade which in my opinion is even better!

I picked up a few other bits on my way around including a handmade pomegranate lip balm which smells divine and the texture and consistency is lovely too. A father and daughter were selling these and they also had handmade soaps for sale. Check out their website here.

My mums stall did well too she sold some of her cards and did some networking. If you are interested in handmade cards she has an Etsy shop which you can view here;and she can be contacted there if you want something made to order.

Have you found any great homemade products recently?
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Xx

Outfit Of The Day - Bank Holiday Monday

As its a bank holiday today and the sun was out obviously I had to go to sit in a garden with a cold drink and eat barbecued meat.

Warehouse dress £55 (last summers stock) Accsessorize bag £35, Primark sandals £4, New look sunglasses £3.99

I opened my wardrobe this morning and this dress stood out with its fun tropical print, perfect for a sunny day! I love everything about this dress and it shows as I brought it last year and I still want to wear it this year! It comes with a belt made of the same fabric of the dress which I sometimes change a put my own belt on instead. I chose to pull up the top fabric over the belt to make it baggy on the top and shorter at the bottom so it comes up to ankle length. The fabric is really cool and thin which is perfect for a humid day. The only problem I have with this dress is that it creases so badly as you can see from the pictures.

As the dress is so bright I kept everything else simple with some nude coloured sandals, cream satchel and aviator sunglasses.

How did you spend your bank holiday Monday?

Sunday #2

I have had a lovely Sunday this weekend and because it is bank holiday weekend it will feel as if we get a bonus Sunday tomorrow :)

I was hoping to go to a local tea room this weekend but unfortunately I was unable to do so, but instead I spent a lovely morning making cards with my Mum.

My mum is brilliant at crafts and sells lots of handmade cards and scrapbooks and as I mentioned before she has a craft fair coming up soon. So today she was working on some cards and I thought I would give it a go myself. It was nice to relax for a couple of hours and it was very calming and therapeutic. Obviously my cards aren't professional but I am pleased with the results and might do some more in the future to give to friends and family. What do you think of them?



After my peaceful morning of crafting I had an equally chilled out afternoon. I went to a friends house in Ongar,Essex and had a lovely BBQ which between four girls we managed to work it out! To round it all off we snuggled on the sofa and watched Dirty Dancing. Bliss!

I hope you are all enjoying the May bank holiday :D

18th Birthday Card, Congratulations card 

Blue Moon

L-R :  Barry M- 54 Clear, 317 Blue Moon, 354 Amethyst Glitter

I don't usually like any type of blue nail varnish on my own nails but surprisingly I really liked this sky blue colour by Barry M.

Historically I don't get on with Barry M nail varnishes as I find its a bit too thick and it don't seem to last too long before chipping but 3 days in and going strong so far so I may have been converted!

I found this glittery polish in my collection also by Barry M, it's got lots of multicoloured hexagon shaped glitter pieces and small flecks of colourful glitter too in a clear polish. I painted two coats of the glitter on each of my ring fingers as a feature nail. I love glitter polishes but they can be a bit overpowering if on every nail, not to mention a nightmare to take off!

Do you have any tips on removing glitter polish?

I'm no teenage icon...

As I mentioned in my Sunday post I went to a gig at the 02 last night. I went to see the vaccines with two friends and we had a great time and avoided getting anything nasty in our hair.

T-shirt- Very £17, Jeggings- Vera Moda £30, Boots- New Look £27.99, Necklace- Primark £4 

I chose to wear black jeggings for comfort with this motif t-shirt with a mandatory statement necklace which I think was a good mixture of casual and dressy. I also wore my New Look boots which haven't left my feet since I brought them; they are a great height for day or night. On the way out the door I realised by the time I was heading home it may be chilly so I threw on a tasseled jacket over the top.

Excuses for the short post today will make up for it in posts to come!

Bank holiday weekend! Are you doing anything nice?

What's in my bag?

I have had a few requests for a what's in my bag post so here it is. If you have any questions or requests of your own either leave a comment at the bottom or feel free to email me at curiositea23@gmail.com :)

Accessorize bag £35

My handbag is from Accessorize and was £35 and I LOVE it! It is the perfect size and has a strap long enough to wear across the body and a small handle to be held by hand. It has a zip fastening and a zipped compartment inside and the satchel flap and magnetic clips.

Diary| notepad| purse| card holder| lip products| post it notes| sunglasses| hand cream| perfume

-Cath Kidson Diary
I received this diary as a gift and it is the most useful gift ever as I look at it every single day. I have an iPad which I could use but I like the old fashioned way of keeping things written down. The design is just beautiful and each page has a different Cath Kidson print. Love.

-Notepad
As I said before I could use my iPad but I find it uninspiring and difficult to read on a screen I always like to have a notepad and pen in my bag to write 'to do lists' and checklists in. I have written on a to do list somewhere to buy a prettier notepad..

-Post it notes
Most useful stationary ever.

-Purse
I got this in TK Maxx and I thought it was really pretty it has enough room for all my cards, receipts and money. There is some sort of floral theme with the contents of my bag

-Card holder
This is meant to be a card holder but I use it to keep my Oyster card in. As with most things I won I go for the floral design and it was a bargain at £1 from Primark!

-Lip products
I just opened my bag and this was actually how many lip products I had I my bag. I think it's important to have lipstick as I don't carry around a makeup bag so if i need a refresh in the day I usually just slick on some lipstick. My favourite here at the moment is my Mac Plumful which is a lovely plum colour but surprisingly wearable! Carmex is my ultimate lip product I could not leave the house without this and have one in every bag I own just in case!

-Sunglasses
Just got a cheap pair in my bag at the moment these were from new look.

-Hand cream
As I have very dry hands due to eczema I have to keep a hand cream in my bag at all times for when I wash my hands. This soap and glory one is a really nice formula and the travel size is perfect for my bag.

-Perfume
At the moment unhave SJP NYC I my handbag and this is one if my favourite scents ever. Not just because I am a little bit obsessed with Sarah Jessica Parker but the smell is so unusal and lasts all day.

Sunday #1

I hope you have all been enjoying this lovely Sunday, I have been up since 5am for work *yawn* but I have enjoyed a roast dinner today as you should on a Sunday so I cannot complain!

This week has been quite productive and I am settling into a routine writing this blog now and I am really enjoying it, I hope you are too :) I have also spent way too much time in coffee shops this week catching up with friends and sampling new summer drinks (cafe Nero) and generally wasting spare hours.

Looking in my diary I have some exciting things to look forward to in May!

I'm going to a 'gig' next Thursday and out at karaoke on Saturday so looking forward to coming up with outfit ideas/posts for that.

My mum has also go a stall at a craft fair selling her handmade cards and scrapbooks so I will be in attendance with a camera and a purse full of change to see what I can pick up there.

Lastly, as my review on afternoon tea at Mulberry House was such a success with the most views of any post yet, you may be glad to hear that I have purchased a voucher for an afternoon tea locally in Brentwood from Groupon :). The tea is usually £15.95 per person but with the voucher it worked out at around £7 a head so how could I overlook this?

Have a great week and remember you can contact me at curiositea23@gmail.com :D

Afternoon tea - Mulberry House

As the whole world knows I love afternoon tea so it's not a surprise I was kindly gifted a voucher for afternoon tea for Christmas by a friend. As I have no afternoon teas booked for the foreseeable future I thought I would share my last experience.

The tea was for two at Mulberry House in Ongar, Essex and I went with my aunty and little cousin (who is quite accustomed to afternoon tea for a 2 year old.) After a little bit of confusion trying to find the venue once stepping out of the car the grounds were simply beautiful!

We were asked to wait in the waiting room while our table was prepared for us. After a short wait we were shown through to the conservatory which was empty expect an elderly couple but the room was beautiful and you could really appreciate the surrounding grounds from here.

We were seated and chose our tea from the tea menu which wasn't extensive but had all the favourites on there. I went for Earl Grey as I am not very adventurous and my aunty chose an English breakfast I believe.

We were first given a selection of finger sandwiches, they were simple sandwiches with the crusts taken off and we had one of each of egg, ham and cream cheese. They were presented on a normal plate and were nice enough.

We were then presented with a silver three tier cake stand. The top tier was small pots of jam, the second tier was warm scones (one each) and the bottom was a selection of miniature cakes. We were also given a dish with a generous amount of fresh clotted cream and fresh chopped strawberries.

The cakes were yummy as are all carrot cakes and eclairs but I have a penchant for eating warm scones and drinking tea on a cloudy afternoon. So much so we decided to order extra scones (oops).

Overall it was a pleasant afternoon and we were there for hours and thoroughly enjoyed ourself. The setting was just lovely and the afternoon tea menu was just as you would expect. It cannot be compared to some 'luxury' London experiences but if you have a spare afternoon sometime between lunch and dinner why don't you find am afternoon tea venue near you.

Please follow me on Instagram: CURIOSITEA23 or email me any questions or requests at curiositea23@gmail.com :)

Topshop Cream Blusher

With the transition into summer well under way I started to rethink my make up choices. As the weather gets hotter I prefer a fresher look with less powdery make up.

I have heard a lot about the Topshop Cream blushes which are a steal at £6 so I thought I would pick one up while I was out shopping.

I chose Morning Dew which is a coral/pink shade which I think compliments my skin very well. The application is smooth and easy you just need to dab a few dots along your cheekbone and blend and it leaves a lovely finish not to shiny almost like powder. It comes out as a delicate pink on the cheek and is buildable to a more daring shade which represents the colour shown in the pot.
I would highly recommend this blusher as it has an expensive feel to it and applys smoothly and lasts well in the hot weather.

Have you tried any of the other colours? What do you think?

Outfit Of The Day - Wednesday

Sorry for the delay in posting but I aim post everyday for the next couple of days. I have had a couple of requests for reviews of make up and will be starting to visit afternoon tea venues in due course!

Today I had a few coffee dates with friends and chose a simple outfit with a blazer which spent most of its time off as it was baking hot today! Loving statement necklaces recently there are some really great ones out there to make any outfit look more stylish.

What I wore:
River Island black jeans £30, Primark loose top £4, Primark Polka dot blazer £15, Primark shoes £6, Accessorize bag £35, New Look necklace £7.99, New Look sunglasses £3.99.

Garnier Moisture Match - oily/combination skin

I am currently on the hunt for the perfect moisturiser, and I can't be the only one!

For the past month I have been using Elemis Fresh Skin - Skin Clear Mattifying Moisturiser which at £20 wasn't cheap and even though I enjoyed using I feel there is still something better out there to be found. It is full of essential oils and has a refreshing fragrance but it isn't a WOW product. Therefore, I have chosen not to repurchase it and to continue to search.

I had noticed a lot of advertisements for the new Garnier Moisture Match range and as I can get shiny throughout the day I went for the 24hour hydrating mattifying cream! This was on offer in Boots for £3.99 which I this had £2.00 off and usually retails at £5.99 so what did I have to loose?

This product slides on easily and it is refreshing and light and more like a gel formula. It's a good base for make up and will feel fresh applying it on summer mornings. It has a light scent similar to cucumbers. As for claiming to be mattifying for 24 hours I feel that may be a little exaggerated but i would personally say I had a good 8 hours without shine when worn under make up- which I think is pretty good :)

Has anyone tried any of the other moisturisers from the Garnier Moisture Match range?

Soap&Glory

I popped into Boots yesterday to get some dry shampoo (lifesaver) and noticed a deal on Soap&Glory products. The deal was spend £10 on Soap & Glory products and receive a free body butter worth £10.50! I am a real fan of Soap & Glory products especially the vibrant retro packaging so I just couldn't resist!

-Soap & Glory 'wash your hands of it ' £5.00

I love this hand wash and I have it in a set with the soap and glory hand food and I really like the scent of both products. I find them very moisturising which fits in with what they claim on the bottle, 'it's a washer, not a drier!'

-Soap & Glory 'sugar crush body wash' £6.50

This is my all time favourite body wash as the smell is incredible, it's really fresh and fruity with a sweet tinge and it leaves my skin super soft! It contains lime oil, kiwi juice and an omega rich veggie oil. This is quite pricey for a shower gel but I think it is a lovely treat as it smells amazing and lasts a long time. The pump dispenser is also a bonus!

-Soap & Glory 'Butter yourself' £10.50 (or free in my case)

It says: Want smoother, fresher, softer skin? Just...Butter yourself! Five fruits super rich smoothing body cream with exfoliating AHAs, orange water juice, Shea butter, peppermint oil and fruit liquid fig.
This cream is super thick and luxurious feeling. Which sinks in quickly to the skin and as with all the Soap & Glory products has an amazing scent. I prefer the fresh scents to overly sweet ones so this one is very refreshing with a smell of oranges and figs!

The start of something new...

Hello!
Welcome to Curiositea!
I'm Ashley and I have started this blog to awaken my creative side.
I love all things fashion and beauty and I am also an afternoon tea fanatic so expect a variety of reviews to come!
I am excited but also a little nervous but I hope you enjoy the journey as much as me :-)